Taking proper care of your bicycle is important if you want to be able to enjoy riding it. While many people wait until things are not working properly before seeking help, preventative maintenance goes a long way to keep costs down and riding time up. Why do so many forgo preventative maintenance? Laziness, apathy are on the worse end of the spectrum of reasons, but likely in the minority. I think most people simply run short on time to do the required maintenance, as we all tend to lead very busy lives. For others, they simply don’t know what is needed or how to do it. Here at Element Sports, we try to help you on all fronts.
For the time crunched, we strive to turn repairs around as quickly as possible. We know how badly you miss being able to ride when the bike’s in the shop. We do recommend a yearly tune-up as the best form of preventative maintenance. We’ll give the bike a thorough check, make sure everything on the bike is dialed, and let you know if anything needs replacing. We get most of our tune-ups during the riding season, of course, but if you plan ahead, you can avoid down time by bringing the bike in during the winter season. A quick turn around, and you’re ready before the season starts!
We also offer classes on bike maintenance for those who would like to work on their bikes themselves, but just lack the required know-how. We offer 4 different classes, which you can learn more about by clicking on the Service tab above and looking for Bike Maintenance Classes. Combo A/B is the most popular. These classes are designed on an individual basis – you bring your own bike to the class so you can learn specifically what applies to your own machine.
We will also be offering free basic maintenance classes once a month during the season. These are essentially Class A with a few extras thrown in to help you trail side. They are designed primarily to help you perform routine maintenance and empower you to fix minor problems that may occur during a ride. The classes are generally the last Monday of the month (except May for Memorial Day) at 6:00 pm. The dates are as follows:
May 23
June 27
July 25
August 29
We also offer our Rent-A-Stand program. If you’d like to work on your own bike, but don’t have the space or proper tools, you can come in the shop and rent time on one of our work stands. Included with the rental is free use of any of our tools (but please be sure to put them back where you found them!). You will also be able to ask our mechanics questions (however, if we must physically help you, you will need to pay the standard rate for the item repaired). Our Rent-A-Stand program is $20 for the first 1/2 hour and $10 each additional 1/2 hour.
Finally, we offer a full line of products that will help you keep your bike running smoothly: lubes, cleaners, degreasers, tools, etc. Having the right tool or lubrication on hand goes a long way to keeping your bike happy. And if your bike is happy, you’ll be happy. Get Out! Have Fun!
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